At gnaana, we bring the wisdom of the past to the children of the future. Taking our inspiration from the research and writings of Dr. Maria Montessori, we understand that children, from the age of birth, form an intense and ever-lasting relationship with their surroundings. Whether they are listening to the gush of water, or evaluating the squishability of peas, children are constantly learning from what is around them. As parents and caregivers, it is therefore up to us to prepare that environment with objects and stimuli that will inspire children to ask: what is that? I want to know more.

But in many households of the South Asian diaspora, children are seldom engaged in the elements of culture in that most important of environments - the home - where they inevitably spend most of their waking hours. Instead, in the modern era of busy dual career families, the learning of culture - of languages, spirituality, and traditions - is often outsourced to television, to grandparents, or to local temples or mosques. As a result of this outsourcing, children do not learn to incorporate elements of culture into their everyday lives. For them, their heritage remains on a distant, hazy shore.

We believe young children can benefit tremendously from being exposed to elements of the South Asian culture - a culture which is over five thousand years old and infinitely rich in philosophy, science, literature, religion, and art. The scholars of tomorrow are heirs to the gnaana of their ancestors. Our mission is to reveal to them the brilliance of this fortune.